What does a web analytics expert do?

A web analytics expert (sometimes referred to as a digital analyst or web analyst) uses data analytics to find issues with a website's design and content, with the goals of increasing traffic to the website, improving user experience, and improve your conversion rates.

Hiring a web analytics freelancer can be extremely profitable and helpful for pretty much all business owners, regardless of industry, business size, or specific business goals. Some of the tasks a web analytics expert performs include:

Monthly reporting

Web analytics and data go hand in hand. You can't have one without the other, and a web analytics expert must ensure that website data is collected accurately. As part of their tasks, they will review regular reports, looking for any discrepancies, and make sure that the data is up to date. 

Once the data is collected and verified, the web analytics expert will put it all in an easy-to-read report, frequently in some visual format, which they will present to the other members of the marketing team, as well as company leadership.

To do all this, a web analytics expert needs to have good analytical skills, as well as have in-depth knowledge of working with Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and various Google Ads and analytics tools.

Audit existing Google Analytics accounts

Google Analytics experts will also review and audit existing Google Analytics accounts. They will look for any setup mistakes, errors, or issues that could be hindering the website's performance. They will also review goals and objectives to make sure they are set up correctly and accurately representing user actions.

Integrations

A web analytics expert must also have extensive experience with various integrations, like integrating Google Analytics with Adwords or setting up Facebook and Twitter ads. They will also need to set up various tracking codes and pixels and any other integrations or customizations that the website may require, so they can track data across different channels and ensure the accuracy of their custom reports. 

Tracking setup

Setting up accurate tracking for a website is essential to gain an understanding of user behavior. A web analytics expert must set up both event tracking and conversion tracking to measure the website’s success. They will also need to ensure that all tracking codes are implemented and functioning properly.

Technical tagging and GTM setup

To get the most out of data analytics and run successful, data-driven digital marketing campaigns, web analytics experts must also be familiar with technical tagging, cross domain tracking, and Google Tag Manager (GTM). They must set up tags to track user activities, such as page views, video views, and other interactions. A web analytics expert will also know how to use different pixels (such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn) to track user activity.

In addition to these hard skills, your Google Analytics expert/ web analytics freelancer should also possess a series of soft skills that make them easy to work with and efficient. For instance, excellent communication skills are essential as your web analyst needs to collaborate with multiple members of your marketing team tp ensure the success of your campaigns and the accurate reporting of all the data that comes from these campaigns (which will consequently help you make better business decisions going forward.)

How has the role changed since GA4 and the iOS 15 changes?

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the latest version of Google Analytics, and it is set to release in 2023. With this new version, many web analytics experts will need to become familiar to the new features, how to set it up correctly, and how to ensure all metrics are tracked accurately.

For instance, one of the differences between GA4 and Universal Analytics (UA) is that Universal Analytics tracks screenviews separately for mobile in dedicated properties, while GA4 combines web and app data in a single property. When comparing pageview metrics between the two, consider the extra app traffic if you're monitoring both web and app data in your GA4 property.

Similarly, Apple's iOS 15 update has caused several changes to how data can be tracked (particularly data used in programmatic advertising.) More specifically, Apple's new “Hide My Email”, “Mail Privacy Protection” and “iCloud Private Relay” features give iOS15 users more control as to what kind of data can be collected (and thus, what kind of information marketers can use.) In this context, web analytics expert will need to be familiar with these changes and how they can impact the data being collected.

Questions to ask your web analytics freelancer when hiring them

Not sure what to ask your web analytics expert during the recruitment process? Here are some ideas to inspire you when looking for a skilled freelancer:

• How do you track key performance indicators for digital marketing campaigns across multiple tools? 
• How would you rate your collaboration skills? 
• Would you consider you have strong communication skills? 
• How do you help support the content strategy with data? 
• Have you ever correlated data on social media platforms with website conversions? 
• What is the best tool to track Google Adwords performance, in your opinion? 
• What could high bounce rates indicate? 
• What are some of the skills that make you an ideal candidate? 
• Do you have experience with SEO tracking and ads reporting? 
• When it comes to the monitoring of user behavior, what tools would you recommend? 
• What is your previous experience in Analytics setup for a brand new website? 
• Do you have experience working with a wider range of analytics tools at the same time, to correlate and verify data across different platforms? 
• What is your experience with campaign setup? 
• Can you share examples of successful lead generation campaigns you've managed before? 
• Do you have experience in tracking analytics for social media campaigns too? 
• When creating campaigns, what is the first thing you do to make sure they're tracked correctly? 
• What are some essential updates on campaign progress you make for your clients on a regular basis? 
• Have you ever created custom reports for various digital marketing platforms? 

How to hire the perfect web analyst

There are many ways to hire a good web analyst. Some of the most popular ones include:

Job boards

Job boards like Glassdoor and Indeed are some places to find web analytics experts. The upside is that everyone knows these sites, so you're likely to receive a lot of applications. The downside? You may get applications from people who are not qualified, so you will need to spend time sifting through the applications to find your ideal candidate. 

Freelancer sites

Freelance platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, and Toptal are a great resource for finding web analysts. The benefit of these sites is that you can quickly find people who are likely qualified for the job. However, you will also have to sift throuhg many applications, and not all of them may be from people with enough experience for your needs.

Freelance sites also allow you to recruit without posting a job, but just as in the case of job boards, you may receive applications from people who are not qualified for the position or who don't have actually proven experience in your specific industry. 

Referrals

One of the easiest ways to make sure you hire someone who is qualified for the job is to get a referral from someone you trust. A referral can be from an industry colleague, a friend, or even a former employee can save you time and energy, as you already know the person the web analytics expert worked for before and you have their honest opinion.

The downside to referrals is that it may take longer to find someone right for you, especially if the recommended experts don't have the availability right now.

Hire with Mayple

Want to hire a vetted web analytics expert as quickly as possible? Hire with Mayple! We have a network of qualified experts who are ready to help you track, analyze and optimize your website. Plus, we'll match you with the right person, with the ideal skills and experience, in a matter of days.